Chapter 5: Girlfriend  

Lu Yi turned slightly to look at Lin Zhizhi. The woman before him had eyes as bright as stars, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and the curve of her lips was as perfect as a crescent moon.

She acted naturally around him, showing no reservations.

Lu Yi frowned imperceptibly but then casually took Lin Zhizhi’s bag and placed it aside.  

“You’re Lin Zhizhi, right? The school flower of our university!” The boy sitting at the innermost seat, dark-skinned and sturdy, spoke in a tone filled with surprise. As if words alone weren’t enough to express his astonishment, he slapped the table and pointed at Lin Zhizhi with one hand.  

Lin Zhizhi looked at him, smiling as she nodded gently.  

“Wow! As expected of the school flower! Do you know? You’re the goddess of most of the boys in our school!” The dark-skinned and sturdy boy, Liao Hui—who was also Song Nuan’s roommate’s boyfriend—exclaimed excitedly.

However, as soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly let out a sharp cry and flinched to the side. He then turned to his girlfriend, Liu Ji, and complained: “Hey, why did you pinch me?”  

Liu Ji quickly withdrew her hand from Liao Hui’s waist and waved at everyone with an awkward smile. “Nothing, nothing. We’re just messing around.”  

“Hey, Goddess, so you… know Lu Yi? What’s your relationship?” Liao Hui, still rubbing his waist after being pinched, asked curiously, his eyes darting back and forth between Lu Yi and Lin Zhizhi.  

“Yeah, we’ve known each other since high school. As for our relationship…” Lin Zhizhi hesitated, wondering whether to directly reveal that she and Lu Yi were a couple.

However, before she could decide, the man beside her—who had remained silent and was quietly cooking his hotpot—suddenly spoke.  

“She is my girlfriend.”  

After saying this, Lu Yi ignored everyone’s reactions and simply placed the freshly cooked meat into Lin Zhizhi’s bowl.  

Lin Zhizhi was taken aback. She hadn’t expected Lu Yi to announce their relationship so openly in front of everyone.

She turned to look at the man beside her. Because he had leaned closer to give her the food, she could clearly sense his unique scent—one that was unexpectedly pleasant. Unable to help herself, she took a subtle sniff.  

Lu Yi who was gazing at the delicate face so close to his, noticed her slight movement. Like a little rabbit sniffing the air, she looked utterly adorable. A faint warmth flickered through his deep, ink-like eyes.  

As Lin Zhizhi remained in a daze, she suddenly heard a deep, magnetic voice beside her ear.  

“Eat.”  

Lin Zhizhi responded softly and picked up her chopsticks to start eating. She was the type who would shine brightly when given a little warmth, always testing others’ limits.

Feeling slightly embarrassed at having been momentarily entranced by Lu Yi, she shamelessly asked him to cook more of her favorite foods for her.  

As she ate, she subtly glanced at Song Nuan, who sat across from her. Song Nuan had her head lowered, absentmindedly picking at her food with her chopsticks.

Her three roommates watched her with concern but didn’t say anything since Lin Zhizhi was present.  

The table fell into silence.

No one spoke, and Lin Zhizhi continued eating as if nothing had happened.  

Liao Hui, as if just realizing something, glanced at Song Nuan and tried to ease the atmosphere.  

“Come on, everyone, eat! If it’s not enough, let’s order more. Tonight, it’s my treat, so don’t hold back!”  

Lu Yi’s other two roommates chimed in to support the mood.  

“Don’t worry, we definitely won’t hold back! It’s rare for you to treat us, so of course, we have to make the most of it!”

In the midst of the boys’ playful banter, the atmosphere gradually lightened.

However, the girls only exchanged a few perfunctory remarks before turning their attention to Lin Zhizhi.

“Classmate Lin, are you really Lu Yi’s girlfriend? How come we’ve never heard about it? We always thought Lu Yi didn’t have a girlfriend.” Liu Ji couldn’t help but ask Lin Zhizhi.

Lin Zhizhi reluctantly put down her chopsticks, though her gaze lingered on the shrimp balls a moment longer. She was genuinely hungry. Perhaps it was due to her pregnancy— recently, her appetite had grown significantly, nearly double what it used to be.

No matter what she thought inwardly, Lin Zhizhi maintained a gentle smile as she replied: “Of course I’m Lu Yi’s girlfriend. We’ve been together since high school.”

As soon as she said this, not only Liu Ji but also Song Nuan’s two roommates were shocked. “High school!?”

The three girls looked at each other in surprise before simultaneously glancing at Song Nuan, then back at Lin Zhizhi. “No way! You two have been together since high school?”

“Yeah. Why?” Lin Zhizhi pretended not to notice their reaction.

“Oh, nothing, nothing. We were just amazed at how well you kept it a secret.”

“Yeah, exactly.”

…

After the brief conversation, Lin Zhizhi noticed that her bowl was suddenly filled with several freshly cooked shrimp balls.

She didn’t need to guess — it was undoubtedly the work of the kind-hearted Lu Yi.

As she ate contentedly, she thought to herself, Lu Yi doesn’t seem as cold as the books make him out to be. He’s actually quite thoughtful.

Little did she know, the same Lu Yi, who had just been awarded a “good guy card” in Lin Zhizhi’s mind, was watching her eat.

As she happily munched away, her eyes narrowed slightly, resembling a contented cat. Lu Yi squinted slightly in amusement.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that Lin Zhizhi seemed a bit different from before, but since he hadn’t known her that well previously, it didn’t feel strange.

In fact, he thought this version of her was quite nice.

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